Wayne and Jo Ann Moore Foundation focuses on education, community

Steve Kuhlmann | skuhlmann@mrt.com

Published 7:15 pm, Thursday, May 21, 2015

Photo: James Durbin

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James Moore is the executive director of the Wayne and Joann Moore Charitable Foundation. Photographed Thursday, May 21, 2015, at the Foundation building on N. Marienfeld Street. James Durbin/Reporter-Telegram

James Moore is the executive director of the Wayne and Joann Moore Charitable Foundation. Photographed Thursday, May 21, 2015, at the Foundation building on N. Marienfeld Street. James Durbin/Reporter-Telegram

Photo: James Durbin

Wayne and Jo Ann Moore Foundation focuses on education, community

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As it approaches its 10th anniversary, the Wayne and Jo Ann Moore Charitable Foundation continues the work its namesakes had begun in the years before. Somewhat less publicly visible than other Permian Basin foundations such as the Scharbauer Foundation or the Henry Foundation, the Wayne and Jo Ann Moore Foundation was founded in 2006 after the deaths of Wayne and Jo Ann Moore. With a focus on education and general community welfare, the foundation is proud to call Midland its home.

We caught up with Wayne and Jo Ann Moore Charitable Foundation Director James Moore to talk about the foundation, its mission and its hopes for the future.

MRT: What is the foundation’s mission?

Moore: Our mission is to keep alive the philanthropic legacy of Wayne and Jo Ann Moore by providing grants to worthwhile charitable and non-profit organizations in the Permian Basin area and beyond.

MRT: How does the foundation receive its funding?

Moore: The foundation was initially funded from the estate of Wayne and Jo Ann Moore, and through various investments as well as income from oil and gas it has continued to grow.

MRT: Are there any specific areas in which the foundation focuses its support?

Moore: We fund many areas including the arts, health, human services and organizations that benefit the public in general; however, both Wayne and Jo Ann placed a considerable emphasis on education and saw it as a path to a more fulfilling life. To that end, we have established a number of endowed scholarships at various colleges and universities, including among others, Midland College, UTPB, Texas Tech University and Texas Christian University.

MRT: What sets the foundation apart from others in the area?

Moore: It is hard to separate our foundation from the others in the area because they all do such great work and add to the community as a whole; we are just pleased to be associated with them.

MRT: What are some of your hopes for the foundation’s future?

Moore: We hope that through the legacy of Wayne and Jo Ann we can make possible a higher quality of life in all of the communities we are involved in. We do this by investing and through grants to worthwhile charitable and nonprofit organizations.

MRT: What is something that the community may not know about the foundation?

Moore: The foundation only came into being after Wayne and Jo Ann Moore’s death in 2006, however both had been involved in the betterment of the community since moving to Midland in the 1940s.

MRT: Is there a message you would like to convey to the Midland community.

Moore: Through the ups and downs of oil and gas, the people of Midland have always been a caring and generous bunch, and I think we all do this because we want the community of Midland to be what it has always been, a great place to call home.